The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-05-27
VOL. 1s, NO. 48.
THE TREASURY ATTIC.
PEN AND PENCIL SKETCHES OF ITS
CURIOUS SIGHTS. 49,.
Millions of Files and Acres of Old Rec
ords-The Octogenarian Clerk-The
Government tAssayer-Weighinga a Hair.
Testing Oleomargarine.
Especial Correspondence


Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, May 49,
Just below the White House and one mile
down the avenue from the Capitol rises the
gloomy structure known as the Unit ed States
treasury 1t has many columns along its
front and sides, and it looks for all the world
as il it was the sarcophagus of some great
giant of the time of the mastodons. Its
stones are discolored with the weather of two
generations, and its massiveness makes it as
gloomy as II tomb. The doors of the base
ment appear to be cut into the walls. and As
you enter you feel as though you were going
into a prison. Within you find your sur
roundings much like those of the catecombs
and the passages go in so many directions
that one might easily get lost and wander for
some time before finding his way out. Here
one may find many strange things which the
outside world never dreams Of He woii
see other industries going OH than those vi
money making and money keeping, an Ii,e
might study half dozen trades in the lower
basement, and have his meals served at t.,.
restaurant of this treasury city.
m**
For the treasury is city indeed Its every
part is honey combed with Industry. orI
from basement to attic it is filed with strange
characters and curious sights. In this letter
/ wish to treat of the attic alone. 1t is way
up under the roof, and it composes two acres
of floor, upon which the feet of visitors
rarely tread. 1t is lighted by little windows
looking out of the deep walls, and it is cut I'D
into rooms, halls and corridors, the most of
which are packed with records and doc,,-
ments. All the papers relating to the treas
ury department during the past 100 years are
carefully kept, and to-day as I walked
through wall after wall of files it seemed to
me that I covered miles in going I'D one
aisle and down another. There were thous-
ands of bank notes, millions of reports, and
millions Of accounts showing the labors of
thousands, year after year, since the govern
ment was founded. As looked at the tons
of careful writing could not help thinking
OF the brains and muscle represented bv
theln There is enough manuscript here, I
should judge, to carpet the state of New
York, and fully half of it is made I'D of fig
ures. Every line of these millions upon mil
lions of papers consumed certain amount of
muscle in its writing, and here is represented
the life works of an army now dead The in
ternal revenue records alone comprise enough
old paper to keep the Holyoke mills busy for
weeks and the stubs of all the tobacco stamps
ever granted are here. OF the letters re-
ceived and those sent by the different COM
missioners, the records Of all the department
throughout its history are here properly in
dexed and laid away.
The files of the secretary proper have a
hall to themselves, large enough almost for
baseball ground and the walls or files in this
hall contain 1000 file boxes. Two walls of
files contain the certificates of deposit of all
the national banks Of the country, also the
important papers which make the assistant
treasurers of the United States responsible
for the millions Of money which they receive.
Here met little old man, who told me he
had been in the treasury department over
fifty years, and as looked on him l thought
he was fit accompaniment to the old, yell
low, musty records he was guarding. He sat
at little square table, between two walls Of
papers running up to the ceiling. His eyes
were small and sharp, his hair iron gray, and
slightly bald at the top His coat was little
worn, as, indeed, was everything about him.
He pointed to the two walls of paper which
make up the narrow room where he lives
away his life, and said:
xw# "
uOSe papers VI
In those two walls are the certificates of deposit
Of nearly all the money the treasury owns
There is a single paper in that box over there
which represents $3,000,0O0. 1t belongs to
bank in New York. Oh, my boyl there is
millions in it! there is millions in it! ha! hal"
And he laughed dry parchment laugh as
he made his little joke.
$50 you have been in the treasury long
timer said I.
"Yes," replied he, II came in with Andrew
Jackson as messenger. and have been here
ever since. These fifty years I have grown
gray in the treasury service, and now they
talk Of examining me to see whether am fit
to be here. The other clerks are studying
and arithmetic, but I think it is
too late for me to begin, ha! hal"
But here my guide led me away, and I left
the old clerk watching these hundreds of
millions and paid perhaps salary of $1,000
q year.
I next visited the assay Office; for the gov
ernment has an assay Office located in the
department-and here, away out of
the sight of all, the coin of the mint is tested
and analyzed. If found to be of full value,
or nearly SO. they are allowed to be issued.
If not, they are not. The government assayer,
Mr.. Lower, young man with heavy
blonde mustache, high, pale forehead and
., ou5 oi, hoe a fI,II